Flowers for a Ghost
by Crumbling Rib Cage
Summary: Helga is overjoyed when she's partnered with Arnold to work on an assignment. She has finally an excuse to spend some more time with him but is he happy about it as well or does he wish for the assignment to finally come to an end to spend more time with Dakota, his girlfriend?


**I don't own the show Hey Arnold! **

**For the record, Helga, Arnold etc. are 16 years old in this story. Enjoy!**

The bell rang and the students hurried out Hillwood High, among them Helga G. Pataki. Her backpack was swung loosely on one shoulder and Helga practically jumped down the steps in front of the entrance-door. A smile that reached her eyes fully and was brighter than a million suns was plastered across her face. The blonde girl pushed and squeezed her way through some students to reach the nearest dumpster.

As soon as she approached it, Helga let herself fall onto the grass, after throwing her backpack down. Her tongue caressed her upper lip, as she digged into her pocket to search for what looked like a golden heart-shaped locket. Her eye-lids fell in a dreamy way the second she layed eyes on the picture of Arnold. "My beloved, I had lost all hope and my dreams were fading... Dreams of the tiniest possibility of ever being able to call you mine. My sweet, sweet angle."

"Helga?"

Helga's eyes widened abruptly at the mentioning of her name and the voice, which was normally music to her ears, made her blood freeze. _What are you doing? Snap out of it, Helga old girl! _

She stuffed the locket back into her pocket and jumped up from the ground, wiping the dust from her clothes. "Way to go, Arnoldo - you startled me half to death!" Helga laughed nervously. In her mind, the girl began to say her prayers, in case Arnold heard everything she said or caught sight of the picture on the locket.

"Sorry, Helga," He smiled sheepishly. "Erm, about the assignment -"

"Yeah, yeah! Don't remind me of that stupid assignment that I'm forced to work on with _you _out of all people!"She sneered, while rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. She tapped her food for effect and puckered up her lips, like she tasted something rotten. Little did he know, she was crying out of joy and exitement on the inside. She could hear the angels sing.

Arnold's eye-lids fell and he sighed in frustration. "Anyways," He said, his voice sounding dull now. "Do you want to come over to my house later or should we work at yours?"

_Ugh, what did I do? I pushed my love further into the ocean of hatred... _Her heart sank.

Helga placed her hand around her other arm's elbow-region and her face softened. "I say we -" Was all Helga could say, before her words were cutt off by Dakota, Arnold's girlfriend. She smiled warmly at Arnold and Helga, as she approached them and put her arm around Arnold's waist, who did happily the same.

It took all of Helga's strength to not burst into tears. She could already feel the lump in her throat and the burning sensation in her chest-area. _Please, please, please don't cry_, she pleaded. She felt like she had been hit in the face for six hours and was now asked to smile.

"You must be Helga!" The girl concluded, with a toothy smile, which revealed the little tooth gap between her two front teeth.

Helga nodded, shakily. Afraid to give her sadness away by bursting into tears, if she'd talk now.

She stretched out her free arm for Helga to shake. "Nice to meet ya' - I'm Dakota."

Helga hesitated, before finally giving in and shaking Dakota's hand. "Whatever." She mumbled.

Dakota looked puzzled for a split second, rolling her lips to the side before clearing her throat awkwardly. "Like I said, it was nice getting to meet you, Hegla." She smiled politely. _How many kinds of smiles is this girl able to muster?_ _Criminy, get the message already - I don't like you!_ Helga frowned.

The girl faced Arnold, ignoring Helga's obvious lack of delight of talking to Dakota and gave him a peck on the lips. "I'll call you later." Arnold nodded in response to that and smiled at his girl. "Bye."

The little kiss was enough to cut Helga's heart like a knife. Her glances followed Dakota a little bit, until she was out of sight. "So... you were saying?" Arnold asked, taking her out of her thoughts but not making that pain go away.

Helga shrugged weakly.

Arnold knitted his eyebrows together a bit worriedly, noticing the sudden change of Helga's behavior but decided nonetheless against adressing it. "At 6, my house?" He suggested.

"Suits me fine, Football-head." Helga nodded and walked past him.


End file.
